- This topic has 17 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 18 years, 3 months ago by
.
- Posts
The Jumps season lasts from early March until Mid November. They normally race around 11 weekends-mainly Saturdays and a few Sundays-from March until the end of May and 6 weekends from the last weekend of September until the Colonial Cup which this year is run next Sunday-November 17th.
As well as these 17 weekends of racing-which are Hunt meets and have no betting they also race at the following flat meetings-which would either have 1 or 2 jumps races included on the days flat card. All these have betting with the exception of the Saratoga Open House which always takes place on the Sunday before the meeting starts.
The jockeys are their own agents and at the Hunt Meetings will carry out their tack-but I think normally use valets when racing at the flat meets.
This year they took place on:
Keeneland April 20th
Colonial Downs June 17, July 1, 15 and 29 (normally 2 races)
Saratoga Open House July 22. (3 races)
Saratoga 1 race Every Thursday from 26th July-2 on the last Thursday
Philadelphia Park July 28th
The Meadowlands September 21th
Belmont Park September 22nd
Philadelphia Park October 8thThe Summer months can be very tiring and invlove a lot of travelling for a jumps jockey for not many races. Paddy Young as an example in July drove from Pennsylvania down to Virginia for the 2 races on July 15th-back to PA-then up to Saratoga for the Open House on July 22-then back to PA-back to Saratoga for the 1 race on the 26th-then back to PA-then down to Colonial for 2 races on the 29th-and then back to PA-and then back up to Saratoga for the 1 race on August 2nd! So 2 return journeys to Virginia and 3 to Saratoga for a grand maximum total of 8 jumps races and 1 equivalent of what we know here as a Bumper.
A number of the jockeys elect to stay the whole summer season up in Saratoga and ride work for flat trainers. British rider Robert Massey has a home there and I believe works for Godolphin. Paddy Young has to do the travelling as he works for leading trainer Sanna Hendriks who is based in Pennsylvania.
The richest race in the season is the Breeders’ Cup Steeplechase and this year it had a purse of $200,000 with a $100,000 Breeders’ Cup added money and was run at Far Hills New Jersey for the 8th year in a row since the race was reintroduced.
An article written by Joe Clancy apparently appeared in the Racing Post on the Monday before the race and I came across 1 British racegoer who had read the article and decided to go to the meeting on spec.
The weather was gorgeous (unlike the next Saturday at Monmouth) and he and I agreed that we had never seen so many attractive young fillies in one place-oh and the racing was good too.
I can highly recommend Breeders’ Cup Steeplechase day-especially if the Breeders’ Cup is either held the following week at Belmont Park or Monmouth (which may be unlikely) and think the $150 to join the National Steeplechase Association-which gives you free entry to all the NSA hunt meets, the flat meets with jumps races,plus 1 guest pass, 1 parking sticker and the NSA’s hardbook yearbook is amazing value.
Hopefully next year I will be a winning jumps owner in the US-when Ogden Dunes (by Swain) wins for Paddy and Leslie Young and me
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.